Save money at the hospital

I was recently reading an old Seth Godin book on saving money and he had a few tips on [tag]saving money at hospitals[/tag]. I don’t know much about hospitals and how they charge, so these tips were news to me.

• Don’t check into a [tag]hospital[/tag] for an extended stay on Friday (unless it is an emergency of course). He says that most hospitals are not fully staffed over the weekend which may cause delays in getting tests or other procedures done until Monday. Meanwhile, you are paying the high-priced room and board that the hospital offers. He suggests checking in on Tuesday as the staff has caught up from the Monday rush.

• Bring your own stuff. I didn’t know that you could do this, but then again why not? Seth says that the hospitals charge an exorbitant amount for every little thing such as pillows, linens, nightgowns, etc.

• Get a second opinion. By spending a small amount to get a [tag]second opinion[/tag] about your condition you could save thousands from having an unnecessary procedure done. More importantly who would want to go through surgery if there was an equally effective non-surgical solution.

I would have to suggest being careful putting too much focus on saving a few bucks where your health is concerned. As most would agree your health is a priceless commodity that many would pay any price to have it back.

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